medschoolthrowaway_1717
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Michigan vs. Northwestern vs. WashU St. Louis
Financial differences are negligible, so mainly seeking opinions on school, curriculum, community. I am interested in working with Spanish-speaking populations/global health but am pretty undecided on speciality right now (but have interest in pediatrics). I also potentially want to pursue an MD/MPH! Also a goal is to match to the west coast because of family/SO. I feel pretty torn and love components of all three schools, so thank you in advance for any feedback/advice
Michigan
Pros:
+closest to home & went here for undergrad so have familiarity
+strong residencies, resources/funding/very strong alumni network = more opportunities + support?
+1 year preclinical curriculum allows for a lot of flexibility in M3 & 4 year
+overall students seem very happy here and very strong community-feel and school spirit. Also more diversity in terms of student ages. Faculty/deans all seem very invested/feel strong school pride, probably the friendliest that I met
+strongest MPH school, but no 4 year option (only extra 5th year)
Cons:
-feel little to no excitement about staying in Ann Arbor/Michigan longer (feel like I have outgrown it and seeking a different city)
-1 year preclinical could be really stressful with exams every other week. Especially w step being P/F, wondering if it’s worth cramming the material in one year
-only 1 year P/F, 3 years honors/high pass/pass, and during clerkships only ~20% of students get honors
-for some reason, just have gut feeling that I’d love the med school community, but I’d feel pretty meh about living in AA for another 4 years. Having a hard time with this feeling because everyone seems to love AA and feel so much school spirit here but I’m not sold on it. I could see myself getting used to it and being okay, just not feeling particularly excited for it
-although most students I met here were really kind, I know multiple people from undergrad who were part of that gunner/cut-throat culture who go here (also getting the sense that no matter what school it is, there will be these people, just trying to parse out if it's more prevalent at some schools than others)
Northwestern
Pros:
+location: Chicago is one of my favorite cities & feel super excited about potentially living here. Still close enough to home that I could make a week trip back to visit but far enough away to get some separation. Newer & beautiful facilities too (esp compared to Michigan)
+Like the ECMH (4 year longitudinal primary care clinic) aspect of the curriculum, especially being able to work at a Spanish-speaking clinic
+pretty robust research opportunities/programs in the curriculum as well (AOSC). WashU might be a little stronger though.
+maybe the strongest global health department/funding (but pretty sure opportunities would be plentiful at the other two school as well)
+have heard overwhelmingly positive things about faculty/deans and receptiveness to feedback -interview day was extremely organized and really enjoyed the students I interacted with/gave us the tour
+option for 4 or 5 year MD/MPH
+20 month preclinical = more spaced out/less stressful, and students seem to have more room to breath
+out of the 3 options, would most want to do residency here due to location
+very strong clinical curriculum/match list (this applies to all 3 though?)
+grading: two years pass/pass later, ~50% get honors during clerkships
Cons:
-not sure about the vibes of the community. Seems like a younger class and have heard some complaints of immaturity/party/fratty culture. Seems like people have more cliques/groups of friends and not as cohesive as a class (also potentially bc of bigger class size?). Not sure how telling this is, but the virtual second look for this school was the most disorganized out of all three schools and the students running it seemed part of that more social/party group. Not sure if covid just messed things up because I've heard very positive things about the in-person second look. I didn’t feel this personally on interview day, but have heard many students address this vibe. The majority of current students I have met have been super down-to-earth and helpful though.
-even though overall I loved my interview day, my group interview partner was definitely a gunner and tainted the experience for me a little
-2 year preclinical means less time for electives/flexibility in M4 & 4 compared to the other two schools
-potentially a little less prestige to the school name & rank compared to Michigan & WashU (impact matching/residencies?). Hate comparing this bc I’m not sure if it’s even valid, but I’m having a hard time justifying choosing this school over esp WashU bc of the rankings
-have heard there are more small groups here that can feel like busy work at times, but students have still said they enjoy the majority of them
Washington University in St. Louis
Pros:
+strongest community feel of all. Smaller class size. Students seem to actually know their classmates well and are very cohesive/tight-knit. Deans and faculty seem to know students extremely well and are receptive to feedback.
+prestige/highest ranked out of the three (a little stronger match list)
+strongest research school of the three, but personally not a HUGE research fanatic. Could be good for residencies though?
+very cheap and fully furnished student housing
+new curriculum starting this year with 1 year preclinical, so also more room to explore/flexibility in later years (also have MD/MPH option)
+got rid of AOAs this year
+like Michigan, more diversity in backgrounds/ages of students
Cons:
-not sure how I feel about St. Louis. Have heard good things but also safety seems to be more of an issue. Definitely more to do/culture than Ann Arbor but doesn’t compare to Chicago. Also farthest away from home, don't know anyone who lives here, and have never pictured myself living in Missouri...but could grow to like it & students seem to love it
-interview day experience was a little meh? Had slight gunner vibes from a couple fellow applicants (one girl kept humble bragging/complaining about how many interviews she had and how she had to cancel some). Also didn’t feel the best about my actual interviews—one of my interviewers kept grilling me on my research/felt like a pressure interview.
-also heard that they have a rep for gunners, but the current students I have met personally seem really nice and collaborative
-being the guinea pig for new curriculum could be rough, but the faculty seem really receptive to feedback. They also don’t seem to have a set plan for it yet—frankly, I only know a rough outline of the curriculum and know the least about it out of all my schools. One year preclinical could also be stressful
-grading: same as umich, now only first year will be pass/fail but I think there is no cap on honors for clerkships
Long story short, I recognize Michigan's strength as a school and community but don't feel excited about living there anymore, although I'd be familiar with the city. I love Northwestern because of location (feel like mental health/happiness would be the best here in terms of living environment), curricular elements, and facilities, but feel uneasy about the community vibes I have heard about/felt slightly. I've also always wanted to try out a bigger city, just not sure if now is the time or if it can be put off for later in my life. WashU's community is extremely appealing and strong, but I don't feel that excited for the location, although I feel more excited about it than Ann Arbor. Also hate that I feel this way but WashU is ranked the highest/slight prestige edge over the other two, but I'm not sure if this difference is negligible in the long-run. A major difference between the other two and NW are 1 vs 2 year pre-clinical, and I see the pros/cons of both options so not really sure which I'd prefer.
Michigan vs. Northwestern vs. WashU St. Louis
Financial differences are negligible, so mainly seeking opinions on school, curriculum, community. I am interested in working with Spanish-speaking populations/global health but am pretty undecided on speciality right now (but have interest in pediatrics). I also potentially want to pursue an MD/MPH! Also a goal is to match to the west coast because of family/SO. I feel pretty torn and love components of all three schools, so thank you in advance for any feedback/advice
Michigan
Pros:
+closest to home & went here for undergrad so have familiarity
+strong residencies, resources/funding/very strong alumni network = more opportunities + support?
+1 year preclinical curriculum allows for a lot of flexibility in M3 & 4 year
+overall students seem very happy here and very strong community-feel and school spirit. Also more diversity in terms of student ages. Faculty/deans all seem very invested/feel strong school pride, probably the friendliest that I met
+strongest MPH school, but no 4 year option (only extra 5th year)
Cons:
-feel little to no excitement about staying in Ann Arbor/Michigan longer (feel like I have outgrown it and seeking a different city)
-1 year preclinical could be really stressful with exams every other week. Especially w step being P/F, wondering if it’s worth cramming the material in one year
-only 1 year P/F, 3 years honors/high pass/pass, and during clerkships only ~20% of students get honors
-for some reason, just have gut feeling that I’d love the med school community, but I’d feel pretty meh about living in AA for another 4 years. Having a hard time with this feeling because everyone seems to love AA and feel so much school spirit here but I’m not sold on it. I could see myself getting used to it and being okay, just not feeling particularly excited for it
-although most students I met here were really kind, I know multiple people from undergrad who were part of that gunner/cut-throat culture who go here (also getting the sense that no matter what school it is, there will be these people, just trying to parse out if it's more prevalent at some schools than others)
Northwestern
Pros:
+location: Chicago is one of my favorite cities & feel super excited about potentially living here. Still close enough to home that I could make a week trip back to visit but far enough away to get some separation. Newer & beautiful facilities too (esp compared to Michigan)
+Like the ECMH (4 year longitudinal primary care clinic) aspect of the curriculum, especially being able to work at a Spanish-speaking clinic
+pretty robust research opportunities/programs in the curriculum as well (AOSC). WashU might be a little stronger though.
+maybe the strongest global health department/funding (but pretty sure opportunities would be plentiful at the other two school as well)
+have heard overwhelmingly positive things about faculty/deans and receptiveness to feedback -interview day was extremely organized and really enjoyed the students I interacted with/gave us the tour
+option for 4 or 5 year MD/MPH
+20 month preclinical = more spaced out/less stressful, and students seem to have more room to breath
+out of the 3 options, would most want to do residency here due to location
+very strong clinical curriculum/match list (this applies to all 3 though?)
+grading: two years pass/pass later, ~50% get honors during clerkships
Cons:
-not sure about the vibes of the community. Seems like a younger class and have heard some complaints of immaturity/party/fratty culture. Seems like people have more cliques/groups of friends and not as cohesive as a class (also potentially bc of bigger class size?). Not sure how telling this is, but the virtual second look for this school was the most disorganized out of all three schools and the students running it seemed part of that more social/party group. Not sure if covid just messed things up because I've heard very positive things about the in-person second look. I didn’t feel this personally on interview day, but have heard many students address this vibe. The majority of current students I have met have been super down-to-earth and helpful though.
-even though overall I loved my interview day, my group interview partner was definitely a gunner and tainted the experience for me a little
-2 year preclinical means less time for electives/flexibility in M4 & 4 compared to the other two schools
-potentially a little less prestige to the school name & rank compared to Michigan & WashU (impact matching/residencies?). Hate comparing this bc I’m not sure if it’s even valid, but I’m having a hard time justifying choosing this school over esp WashU bc of the rankings
-have heard there are more small groups here that can feel like busy work at times, but students have still said they enjoy the majority of them
Washington University in St. Louis
Pros:
+strongest community feel of all. Smaller class size. Students seem to actually know their classmates well and are very cohesive/tight-knit. Deans and faculty seem to know students extremely well and are receptive to feedback.
+prestige/highest ranked out of the three (a little stronger match list)
+strongest research school of the three, but personally not a HUGE research fanatic. Could be good for residencies though?
+very cheap and fully furnished student housing
+new curriculum starting this year with 1 year preclinical, so also more room to explore/flexibility in later years (also have MD/MPH option)
+got rid of AOAs this year
+like Michigan, more diversity in backgrounds/ages of students
Cons:
-not sure how I feel about St. Louis. Have heard good things but also safety seems to be more of an issue. Definitely more to do/culture than Ann Arbor but doesn’t compare to Chicago. Also farthest away from home, don't know anyone who lives here, and have never pictured myself living in Missouri...but could grow to like it & students seem to love it
-interview day experience was a little meh? Had slight gunner vibes from a couple fellow applicants (one girl kept humble bragging/complaining about how many interviews she had and how she had to cancel some). Also didn’t feel the best about my actual interviews—one of my interviewers kept grilling me on my research/felt like a pressure interview.
-also heard that they have a rep for gunners, but the current students I have met personally seem really nice and collaborative
-being the guinea pig for new curriculum could be rough, but the faculty seem really receptive to feedback. They also don’t seem to have a set plan for it yet—frankly, I only know a rough outline of the curriculum and know the least about it out of all my schools. One year preclinical could also be stressful
-grading: same as umich, now only first year will be pass/fail but I think there is no cap on honors for clerkships
Long story short, I recognize Michigan's strength as a school and community but don't feel excited about living there anymore, although I'd be familiar with the city. I love Northwestern because of location (feel like mental health/happiness would be the best here in terms of living environment), curricular elements, and facilities, but feel uneasy about the community vibes I have heard about/felt slightly. I've also always wanted to try out a bigger city, just not sure if now is the time or if it can be put off for later in my life. WashU's community is extremely appealing and strong, but I don't feel that excited for the location, although I feel more excited about it than Ann Arbor. Also hate that I feel this way but WashU is ranked the highest/slight prestige edge over the other two, but I'm not sure if this difference is negligible in the long-run. A major difference between the other two and NW are 1 vs 2 year pre-clinical, and I see the pros/cons of both options so not really sure which I'd prefer.
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